Clash Of Ideals
by Tressimir
Summary: Everyone has their own visions for the world. But when some seek to impose their will on others, conflict will inevitably result. While ideological conflict is among the most dangerous kinds, sometimes it's necessary to protect that which one holds dear. Contains YuNao, possible other pairings undecided.
1. The Beginning

"How's progress on our little project going, Kagetsune?" The speaker looked at his comrade with dark, glassy eyes, sightless yet all-seeing.

His bespectacled, crimson-haired ally sighed heavily and adjusted his glasses, replying, "That's the third time in as many days that you've asked me the same question, Masakado. The Ashiya Corporation may be large and resourceful, but my people are not miracle workers – and neither am I." Pausing for a moment, he continued, "But to answer your question, the majority of the work is done. The rank and file are all ready for action, but without the elites, they're completely ineffective. Mindless entities require orders, after all. The problem is, we've had… difficulty finding suitable candidates for conversion."

A smile tugged at the corners of Masakado's mouth as he handed a thick folder to Kagetsune. "I anticipated that. These are dossiers on particularly promising conversion candidates; you already have… unsavory contacts, so I'll leave their procurement and conversion to you." His blind eyes turned toward the industrial bay hidden in the underground facility they occupied; countless black-armored figures stood immobile, uniform in appearance. "The Hyakki Yagyou will be our key to seizing control of Japan, and the rest of this world soon after. We will become the gods of the new world."

Mitsuru Kirijo dried off her long red hair as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body until she got to her wardrobe. "I have to thank Yukari, Akihiko and the others. They've helped take quite a bit of the stress off me lately." She mused to herself. After getting dressed, she left her bedroom and made her war to the Kirijo estate's foyer with the intent of spending a night on the town.

The Shadow Operatives' founder froze, however, when she saw the figures covering every exit of the estate. For a moment, she thought Public Safety had made another move to undermine her, but that notion was quickly discarded. The men she saw before her were clad in full tactical gear and, much to her surprise, carried military-issue weaponry. _The Self-Defense Force? No… They have no identifying markings. A terrorist attack, most likely._ Unarmed and without much in the way of escape options, Mitsuru stepped forward with her hands up, hoping to negotiate.

"Kirijo, right? Didn't expect it to be this easy to get you. We don't want any unnecessary attention here, so let's make this short and sweet." The apparent leader of the squad raised one gloved hand, revealing a taser in his grip. Before Mitsuru could act against him, he fired the device, the resulting shock sending her muscles into uncontrollable spasms. The Kirijo Group's CEO was only dimly aware of several other intruders striking blows with their rifles, and then… nothing.

Several gunshots resounded through the air as a petite young woman finished her marksmanship practice. Eight perfect bullseyes out of ten fired shots was her best record – impressive for a teenage girl, but not up to her standards. "I must redouble my efforts if I am to do the Shirogane legacy justice… Grampa wouldn't have missed a single shot, even in his advanced age."

Naoto Shirogane holstered her revolver and made her way out of the basement training facility, her stomach growling. "I was so absorbed in my training that I'd forgotten about meals; an amateur mistake. Pull yourself together, Naoto, you need to keep your strength up. You don't want to worry Yu again, like last time you collapsed from forgetting to eat." Making her way to the kitchen, Naoto thought of her lover; her former senpai, now no longer a Yasogami student but still the love of her life. She'd been through this once before, obsessively studying to the point that she'd grown weak from malnourishment and collapsed. Her grandfather had her admitted to Inaba Municipal Hospital to aid in her recovery, and if that wasn't embarrassing enough, her friends had informed Yu of her condition. He'd rushed from Tokyo to see her and given her a stern lecture that made even her grandfather's pale in comparison, and she certainly didn't want to give him cause to worry again.

"There's no time for anything elaborate, not when I'm supposed to be meeting Rise-chan in an hour. I'll settle for instant ramen for now, I suppose." The girl detective muttered to herself as she began preparing the noodles, snapping her gaze to the side as a sound reached her ears. As the ramen cooked, she cautiously moved to investigate, her intuition telling her something was amiss. When she reached the dining room, however, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just as alarm bells sounded in her mind, something pierced her upper arm and her senses began to dull.

_A tranquilizer dart!_ She thought as her vision began to fade._ Someone managed to break in without setting off security? How…?_ The remainder of the thought was lost to her as she lost the feeling in her body, unable to support her own weight as her mind drifted into unconsciousness.

"Rragh! Ayiah!" A fire-haired youth swung his twin katana relentlessly, hacking into the training dummy before him. It wasn't quite the same as bringing his blades to bear on another person, but over time he'd slowly begun to realize that there were ways to deal with people that didn't involve cutting them to ribbons. He was calmer than before, less prone to violence. Finishing his routine, he twirled both his blades and sheathed them in one motion. "That guy's been rubbing off on me, I guess."

Before he could decide what to do next, a faint sound reached his ears. A mechanical click from behind him… He turned and drew his katana again, cutting down a dart that had been flying toward him. A man in tactical gear stood with a firearm in his hand, stunned at his would-be target's reflexes. "Who the hell are you?" The swordsman asked, taking a step toward the stranger in his rented house.

"Wh-What the hell… What kind of monster is this kid?" The man stammered, backing away slowly. "I heard he was just an ordinary high schooler… You aren't Sho Minazuki, are you?"

A feral smile spread across the young man's face. "Sho Minazuki… Yeah, that's me all right. What the hell is a punk like you doing shooting things at me, huh?" Sho approached slowly, both swords glinting in the dim light of his lamp.

Falling back against the wall, the intruder looked up at Sho with sheer terror in his eyes. "D-Don't kill me! I'll tell you everything!" Seeing as he wasn't immediately cut down, he began instantly spilling his guts. "I-I'm part of a special forces unit contracted by the Ashiya Corporation. We were supposed to kidnap talented people for some project their head honcho Kagetsune Ashiya's working on, and I got assigned to you. The bosses said you didn't need a full team because you were just a kid without any special resources, but they're lying assholes. Let me go and I won't cause you any more trouble, I swear!"

"Huh, that sounds pretty out there. Well, I won't kill you. But if anyone else asks for your story, you'd better spill it like you did just now, or you'll be dealing with me again." Sho finished by bashing the hilts of both his swords into his attacker's head, knocking him out. "Narukami told me about that one cop I could count on… Dojima, right? Time to give him a call.


	2. The Facts of the Matter

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the obscene delay between the first update and this one. I had some writer's block and ended up getting my hands on Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires in preparation for 8 Empires next year, and I got sucked in. Hopefully I'll be better on both counts, writer's block and distractions.

Ryotaro Dojima stepped out of the room where he'd been interrogating the Ashiya agent, his eyes turning to Sho. "You're still here, Minazuki?"

"Yeah, I am." Sho's voice still held a contemptuous edge to it; he didn't quite dislike Dojima, but he'd had that tone in his voice for so long it was hard to get rid of. "Uh, sorry, that sounded bad." He quickly apologized.

Dojima nodded before pulling out his cell phone. "You've changed a lot from when I first met you, Minazuki. You're not as violent; hell, I bet you could be a good cop yourself one day." Dialing a number, he held the phone to his ear and heard the recipient pick up. "Hey, Yu? I hate to bother you, but I need to talk to you in person, ASAP. It's about Shirogane – I mean, Naoto-chan." The detective forced himself to use his nephew's lover's first name – Yu had been adamant about Dojima and Naoto getting used to being 'family,' which gave the older man a sneaking suspicion of what he had planned. "Uh huh, yeah. See you soon."

As Dojima hung up, Sho asked, "Narukami and that androgynous detective chick are a thing, huh? Never woulda guessed. So she got caught up in this too?" He was leaning casually against a wall, his arms folded over his chest as he spoke.

"What made you think that?" Dojima asked curiously.

Sho just grinned in response. "Just had a feeling."

There was silence for a few moments before Dojima laughed, "You've got a detective's intuition. I'd like you to be there when Yu shows up, since you're also involved; come to my place. You can have dinner with my daughter and I."

A knock came on the front door of the Dojima residence, which Nanako quickly answered. "Oh, big bro! And Uncle Isamu too! Come in, come in!" The young girl ran back inside, letting Yu and his father Isamu Narukami enter the house.

Dojima looked up, registering that his nephew was there but then showing surprise at his brother-in-law's appearance. "Isamu? What're you doing here?"

The silver-haired man gave Dojima a smile in response, his features sharper and narrower than his son's. "I know you wished for Yu to come, but I've opted to make an appearance as well. If the Shirogane family is involved, I will not idly stand by." Isamu then looked to Nanako and chuckled, saying, "You've grown so much, Nanako. The last time I saw you, you were still just a baby. I have to talk with Yu and your father for a while, but I'll make sure we have time to catch up before I leave."

While his father spoke with Nanako, Yu walked over to where Sho sat. "Sho? Is that really you?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah, definitely me. What, are you surprised? It's thanks to you that I'm not constantly pissed off and all, and I get along pretty well with your uncle. It's weird, isn't it? Hahaha!" Sho's distinctive laugh was nearly the same as when he and Yu had met as enemies, but now it was softer, the harshness faded somewhat. "I'm involved in this whole thing too, so Dojima-san wanted me to come. And Nanako-chan's a good kid, you're lucky to have a cousin like her."

Yu grinned and nodded, responding, "Nanako's the best cousin anyone could ask for. I really am lucky."

Nanako herself interrupted then, cheerfully stating, "Big bro, Sho-kun taught me how to play the guitar! He's really good!"

Yu looked to Sho as if to ask, 'you play the guitar?' The redhead only nodded and shrugged.

"Nanako, I have something important to talk about with Yu, Minazuki and Isamu right now. Weren't you going to play with one of your friends today?" Dojima asked, causing Nanako to leave in a hurry to meet her friend. "Anyway, Yu, Isamu, something bad's happened. Shirogane – I mean, Naoto-chan, has been kidnapped. Supposedly the culprit is Kagetsune Ashiya – he sent people to retrieve talented individuals for a 'project,' which included her and Minazuki here. He was lucky and good enough to fight off his attacker and called me, so I could interrogate him down at the station."

Yu's cheerfulness evaporated at the news, his face going white, then assuming a stony glare of an expression. Before he could speak, however, Isamu began musing aloud. "Ashiya? As in, the Ashiya Zaibatsu? They've conducted experiments for their pharmaceuticals before, but always in a compensated public study. Kidnapping is out of the norm for Ashiya."

"Does it matter? We have to get Naoto back!" Yu's voice was full of cold fury as he spoke, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

Isamu gave his son a reproachful gaze, calmly stating, "I know that you're quite passionate about young Naoto-hime, but you must calm down and be rational. If Ashiya's men were able to infiltrate the Shirogane estate and take her, then we must formulate a proper plan before charging in. Besides, if my intuition is correct, she isn't the only one."

"Huh?" Sho asked, his eyes bright with curiosity. "Someone else got snatched by Ashiya, too?"

The elder Narukami nodded. "Indeed. It isn't widespread knowledge yet, but the head of the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru Kirijo, has also disappeared amid evidence that suggests abduction. Since she's involved in some government work, they're helping the Group hush it up, but I happened to find out through a contact of mine. If Ashiya truly is searching for those with talent, he made some good choices; Naoto-hime and Kirijo-san are both known for their intelligence, while Minazuki-san here is an athletic and combative prodigy from what I've heard." He grinned at Sho, who looked a little stunned by that last part.

"Hey, Isamu." Dojima asked, "I've been wondering about something. Why do you call Naoto-chan, '-hime?' First of all, that's incredibly archaic. Second, the Shirogane family may be well off, but she's not a princess."

Yu and Dojima were both surprised when the normally cool and unflappable Isamu turned red in the face, evidently embarrassed. "You've got me. I worked under her grandfather Kazuhiko Shirogane in my youth, before I got into communications. I was very much in love with his daughter Makoto, and she was always Makoto-hime to me, and so I consider Naoto-hime worthy of the same respect, since I loved her mother and Kazuhiko-sensei has always been a great influence on me."

The ensuing laughter filled the Dojima household.

Naoto opened her eyes, finding herself in restraints that held her tightly to what seemed like an operating table. The lights were bright, fitting the hospital-like setting, and when she looked to the side she saw a familiar red-haired woman bound in the same manner. The girl detective would recognize that figure anywhere; she was always well-endowed, though never showed it before she fell in love with Yu, but she envied that woman for her body that could even catch Yu's eye for a moment. Mitsuru Kirijo.

"Ah, you're awake." The voice that reached her ears sounded bored, attempting to sound refined but unable to hide a trace of a Kansai dialect. "I guess that makes sense; if we hadn't taken you off the sedatives, your life would've been in danger."

Turning her head in the direction of the voice, Naoto saw a man who appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a tailored black suit and silver-framed glasses that seemed to accentuate his semi-feral expression. His hair was fiery red, almost unnaturally so, and though she knew who he was her drugged mind couldn't quite place it.

Her captor's eyes met hers – bright green, very unusual in their hue – and he stood from the chair he'd been seated in. "Ah, such a thoughtful mien, my Nao-chan. It's a pity I need you for my project; you're really quite cute. But even your beauty can't stand in the way of progress. You and Mitsu-chan and both very special ladies, and your talents will assist in the rebirth of the world. A new world under myself – a world where the Ashiya rule." He turned to exit the room, then looked over his shoulder. "It's an honor. Enjoy yourselves." Then he stepped forward, the door swishing closed behind him with barely a sound.


End file.
